Final Fantasy XIII 1. Keep Me Warm

**AN: **Hey guys! Some things I'd like to say beforehand:

As you probably read in the summary, this story marks the start of a Fanille one-shot collection. One-shots might differ in length, so there'll be short ones like this first piece but also longer ones. It is rated M because, naturally, M-rated stories will be in the series. But not only. There are also one-shots rated lower (such as the one below). Please also note that since not everyone wants to read these things, there will be clear warnings before stories that contain things like lemons or are very depressing and so on ... you know what I mean :)

And now... I don't want to annoy you any longer :P Have fun!

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_Keep Me Warm_

Vanille pressed her arms tightly against her front in an attempt to hug and warm herself. She continued to watch the series on TV, but even though it was entertaining, she found herself distracted again by the unpleasant situation that wouldn't let her relax.

She rubbed over her arms, feeling the cold radiating off them. Was it really that cold tonight? ... Either way, she needed to get warmed up. The girl gazed briefly over to Fang, who sat almost beside her on the couch, absorbed in reading a book. Her girlfriend didn't seem to notice the redhead's little problem, and so Vanille shifted and sat herself directly beside her, their hips almost touching.

But Fang only looked up briefly and smiled at her before going back to reading her book. The girl bit her lip. _Sometimes she really doesn't get it! _"Faaaang," she nudged the brunette's arm, and as always felt an almost immense heat radiating off the tanned skin.

Fang reacted then, placing her book on her lap. "What's up, sweetie?" she smiled again, although feeling the tiniest bit annoyed Vanille had interrupted her just as she'd reached an exciting passage.

Vanille tried to scoot even closer if that were possible. "I'm cold," she complained, looking up at the brunette with obvious expectation in her widened emerald eyes.

Fang couldn't help but chuckle, sometimes Vanille was just so much the cute little girl she'd met back at the orphanage of Oerba. That childlike innocence, it was one of the many things she loved so much about her.

"Mh ... guess we'll have to do somethin' about that then, huh? ... Can't leave my girlfriend freezing now, can I?" she smirked, more so when Vanille nodded quickly. _Finally, she got it._

Surprise got the better of her, though, when Fang put her book beside her and rose. "C'mon, love," she nodded to her right. Registering the still wondering look on Vanille's face, she added, "We don't have a fireplace for nothin', right?"

Oh, right. She'd almost forgotten they had one in their new house. Vanille nodded again, a sweet smile adorning her features as she hopped off the couch, quickly switched off the TV and followed Fang across the room to the fireplace. Vanille sat down on the carpet before it and met eyes with her girlfriend, who made no move to relax beside her.

"I'll be right back," the latter announced shortly and disappeared only to return quickly with a fluffy blanket, smiling when she saw the happy spark in the green eyes staring back at her. "And now ... we'll get ya warm for sure" Fang said while sitting down beside her, patting her lap with an arched eyebrow.

It was an invitation Vanille didn't have to be offered twice. Giggling softly, she sat sideward on Fang's lap, who then draped the blanket around them as well as possible before placing her hands on Vanille's waist and thighs to hold her in a secure grip.

Vanille sighed contentedly, resting a hand on Fang's on her thighs and leaning more towards her. She inhaled deeply as the characteristic smell that was Fang's entered her nose, making her feel even more protected and comfortable.

Fang stroked softly over the girl's back, watching the fire burn before them. With the TV off, a peaceful silence filled the room now, the only sound reaching their ears being the occasional crackle of the fire as it greedily devoured the wood. It was quite romantic, really, though Fang, for her part, would never openly admit that. Well, to anyone but Vanille. No one besides the girl knew the fearless Pulsian huntress was a big romantic softie inside.

As if reading her thoughts, Vanille spoke, her voice now soft and tender. "It's so romantic, isn't it?" she turned her head away from the fire for now, locking eyes with Fang.

"Yes, love. It is," Fang nodded, a soft smile forming on her lips as she tightened her hold on Vanille a bit and placed a kiss on her cheek. She pulled back again slowly and saw a bright, loving spark in the girl's eyes that made her heart jump. It reminded her of so so many wonderful moments they had spent with one another. Moments that had been filled with love, passion, and desire.

Dwelling on these memories, the huntress found herself leaning forward again, looking deeply into Vanille's eyes as she went for her cheek once more, but this time kissed her way down to her jaw. The redhead willingly turned her head with a pleasured sigh to give her better access, and Fang slowly kissed and licked her way from her jaw down to the smooth skin of her neck.

Vanille's eyes went shut at the skilled treatment. Fang had always been good at this, and she proved it once more tonight as she licked and kissed the very sensitive skin on her neck, sometimes venturing up to her ear even. And then she felt a sudden stronger sensation, making her eyes go open again in an instant as she realised her girlfriend had changed tactics, now bringing her teeth into it.

"Fang!" she started, voice breaking slightly as another soft yet passionate bite followed. "What are you doing?" At that, the ministrations stopped and the brunette pulled away from her neck to meet eyes.

"Warmin' ya up, darlin'," she said with a slightly husky voice now, an impish smirk on her lips.

Vanille was left momentarily speechless by the unexpected cheeky response, and when she tried to react, Fang beat her to it. "And I have a feelin' it worked."

This time, Vanille knew the perfect answer for this remark. Swiftly, she reached forward and playfully yet not too softly smacked a tanned arm. "Ouch! Hey, I was just sayin' the truth, yeah?" Fang complained, trying a pout that failed miserably and was quickly replaced by a smile.

But bigmouthed as she was, Fang just had to add something. "After all, you expected me to warm ya up ... that's what I did." It earned her another well-deserved smack to the shoulder, though this time, she anticipated it and caught the girl's wrist as she was about to pull back again.

Using Vanille's surprise to her advantage, she swiftly closed the distance between them and pressed her lips onto hers. It didn't take the redhead too long to react and return the kiss, and when she did, Fang let go off her hand again so she could place it on her upper back.

The kiss quickly grew more passionate until they had to break in need of air, both panting softly. "You're definitely warm now, can't convince me of anythin' else," Fang breathed, pressing her forehead against Vanille's.

This time, the girl reacted with a deep smile, and Fang's shoulder was left in peace. "Yep ... you did a really good job at this," she admitted with a firm nod. "I'm really warm now ... maybe a little too warm." A giggle followed, and Fang thought she also saw a light blush on her cheeks.

"Oh, we can do somethin' 'bout that too, ya know ... I'm down for anythin', as always," Fang responded with a suggestive tone to her voice while her eyes seemed to change colour, now showing an odd mix of love and a feral expression. Or better, it may have been odd if Vanille hadn't seen it so many times before; it was one of Fang's typical bedroom gazes.

After years of being together with Fang, Vanille still found she was occasionally shy to talk openly about things like that. Now was one of these moments again, and already she felt her face heat up with a fresh blush. Knowing no other way to voice her consent, she simply leaned forward and captured Fang's soft lips in a passionate kiss while snaking her hands tightly around her.

Smiling into the kiss, Fang pressed her tightly to her body too before rising slowly to carry her love bridal style, letting the blanket fall to the ground. Surely, Vanille wouldn't need it anymore now as warm, or better hot as she was.

* * *

**AN:** There you go, hope you liked it!

This story is based on a prompt from imagineyourotp at tumblr, the prompt was: "_Imagine Person A of your OTP complaining about how cold they are. Person B suggests they curl up by the fire place with a big fluffy blanket. After a few moments of doing so, Person B begins to kiss Person A's neck and bite them a few times. After Person A gets flustered and asks what Person B is doing, Person B says they're warming Person A up. (Bonus if it leads to steamy sex.)" _

I felt it screamed Fanille, and so I started writing. It's definitely one of my shorter stories thus far but I feel it didn't turn out too bad :) Either way - feel free to tell me how you think about it, reviews are always welcome. And about updates: They'll definitely come, it might just be irregular since it always depends on my (varying) uni workload.


	2. Special Day

**AN: **Hey guys! Finally an update here. Sorry for the delay but the last weeks have been very stressful :)

And before I forget it: Thanks for your nice reviews, it's always an inspiration. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

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_Special Day_

Fang smiled as she looked at the calendar again. _February 14th it is. _Her eyes wandered to the date as she acknowledged this truth for about the fifth time this morning. _Our special day. _Her smile widened, thinking back to when she and Vanille had found out about this day's meaning in Cocoonian culture.

They'd found it a bit odd at first, but when they'd seen firsthand how Snow surprised Serah with a weekend trip to New Palumpolum, well, it had even made Fang feel all warm and fuzzy in her chest. Today - one and a half years after their return from crystal stasis - Fang would surprise her love as well. She'd thought about this often and thoroughly, and had finally come to the conclusion she'd do what she'd wanted to do for so long, back in Oerba even.

Her smile widened, seemingly to contradict the uneasiness she immediately felt growing in her chest at the thought of what she'd planned for today. But hell, everyone would feel a little nervous doing something like that. Fang was no different, apparently. But she wouldn't back down, no. She'd do this, it was the right thing to do. Had been for so long. For too long.

She turned away from the calendar and walked back to their shared bedroom to find Vanille still fast asleep, wrapped in the blanket with only her head poking out. Fang crawled onto the bed, carefully, and neared her, eventually lying down beside her. It was unusual for her to be up earlier than Vanille, but today it had been necessary to prepare the first surprise for her: breakfast.

"Vanille...," she hummed into the girl's ear, softly stroking along her covered back. The girl stirred a little, mumbling something before unconsciously scooting closer to Fang. The brunette chuckled at this, holding her tighter to herself. Inhaling her enticing smell, she placed a kiss on her forehead. "Wake up, love."

Vanille's eyes opened then, and after a moment of trying to find orientation, focused on Fang, a smile growing together with an irritated frown at the fact that her girlfriend was fully clothed. "Fang...?"

The huntress smiled, her hand wandering to the redhead's cheek, caressing the soft skin. "I've already been up. Breakfast's waitin' for ya, love. All ready," she whispered, smiling broadly.

Vanille's frown disappeared as all made sense, and immediately her lips twitched into an upward curve. "Oh Fang..." She brought up her arms from under the blanket and quickly closed what little distance was still remaining between them, hugging her girlfriend tightly. "This is so cute of you!"

"Yeah ... but it'll be only half as cute if it gets cold because we spend all day in bed together, right?" Fang chuckled, gently unwrapping Vanille from the blanket as best as she could. She didn't come far, though, but then the girl nodded quickly and helped herself out of her blanket cocoon.

They shared a tender look when she lay before Fang then, completely nude, and for a moment it was all too hard for the brunette to resist the urge to stay here with her and cuddle with her, love her, sleep with her. Vanille seemed to notice if the growing grin on her face was any indication.

"So, are we getting up or did you change your mind, Fang?"

The huntress found a sheepish smile claim her lips as Vanille saw through her so easily, reminding her of just how well the girl knew her. "Uhm yeah, let's go."

Fang went downstairs then while Vanille took a hot shower. While putting the dishes on the table, the tanned woman wondered if her girlfriend had even realised yet which day it was. Probably not, after all they'd not yet known about Valentine's Day last year and therefore hadn't done anything special. She wondered if Vanille - as much as she'd loved the idea after having seen Snow surprise Serah - actually expected something to happen or maybe had prepared something for Fang herself.

She was cut off in her thoughts when the object of her affection entered the kitchen and sat down, her eyes widened at the beautifully decorated table before her. There were rose petals all over it, making the entire thing rather romantic. Something Vanille _loved_.

"You like it?"

"It's wonderful, Fang! Is there some special reason for this or are you just being nice?" she asked while looking with wide eyes what to try first. And then it hit her. Her smile fell, sudden shock claiming her face. "Wait ... Is it our anniversary today? I didn't miss it, right? Please tell me I didn't!" she couldn't stop the slight panic from getting to her at the prospect of having forgotten their special day.

"Woah, calm down, sweetie," Fang chuckled, sitting down across from her. "Ya don't have forgotten our day, don't worry. It's another special day. Valentine's Day. Remember?"

Realisation showed openly on the girl's face as she nodded. "Ah, yes. I had totally forgotten," she giggled slightly, relief washing over her. "It's cute that you thought of it, Fang...," she said, taking a sip from her black tea. "Thank you, this is really wonderful"

Fang smiled and placed a slice of bread on her plate. "You don't think this is all I have for ya, do ya? There's more to come today, we're far from done, sweetie." Her smile turned into a smirk, and she had to chuckle some when the surprise on her love's face was all too evident.

Vanille seemed speechless for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Really? Oh Fang ... you're really a cutie, aren't you?" Their eyes met, and Vanille couldn't help but smile sweetly, already making a mental note to prepare something awesome for Fang next year too.

"Well, what can I say ... We liked the idea of Valentine's Day, so I prepared somethin' for the woman I love, yeah?" the brunette replied eventually, smiling more sheepishly than she wanted to.

"Yep! Looking forward to it, Fangy"

"Me too, love, me too."

Vanille really couldn't have foreseen the extent to which Fang had prepared and thought through this day, it did not only border on perfection, it _was _perfection. Admittedly, the huntress had had some help of their friends in thinking of and preparing everything, but that didn't do anything to belittle her own efforts.

* * *

After breakfast, the first thing on their agenda was a ride on Bahamut over the vast lands of their home, Gran Pulse. Fang knew Vanille loved the beauty of what nature had to offer just as much as her, and so it was easy to guess the girl would enjoy their ride. It was something they both loved, but did far too infrequently due to their other obligations such as work.

They spent a great deal of time laughing, cuddling and just plainly staring at the beauty of their snow-covered home as time passed and they rounded Gran Pulse. The freshly cold, yet not too harsh wind blew in their faces, making their hair fly in every direction.

Vanille laughed happily as they eventually landed again a few metres from their home. "We really need to do this more often, Fang!" she suggested and attempted to hop off Bahamut, but then Fang shook her head with a smile, jumping off first and reaching a hand out to her to help her.

"Yeah, we should. If Bahamut doesn't mind," Fang replied, smiling to the Eidolon that had - much to her happiness - stayed with her even after she'd been uncrystalised and lost her l'Cie powers. She was happy Etro had apparently decided to let her - and this was no different for the other group members - keep her companion. And she hoped he'd stay around for a while longer.

Bahamut seemed to be of the same opinion as he let out a happy grunt and attempted a nod in response. The women smiled at him before he lifted and flew off as he always did when his work was done. When he was nowhere to be seen anymore, Fang turned to Vanille, gently taking her hand in hers as they made their way back inside.

"What will we be doing next?" Vanille wanted to know once they were inside and had taken off their winter coats. The huntress chuckled lightly as Vanille followed her into the kitchen and she made them both a hot coffee. "Oh, ya know, I thought we could go 'n eat out in a lovely restaurant tonight. I've made reservations and everything's prepared. How does that sound, sweetie?"

She received a firm, happy nod in response from the redhead. "Sounds good to me!"

Fang smiled as she turned back to her love and handed her the cup. "Good, because I'm sure you'll like it. It's a special place we've never been. In fact, so special you should wear one of those lovely dresses of yours."

* * *

When they arrived at the restaurant in the early evening - both in their best dresses - Vanille found that Fang hadn't exaggerated. The redhead gasped when she realised that, in fact, her girlfriend had decided to go to the most expensive restaurant in the city Vanille knew of. She felt humbled, knowing that despite their good income Fang must've saved money for this, for _her_.

"Ya like it here, love?" Fang asked once they'd sat down on their places and the waiter had taken their orders. Vanille unconsciously arched an eyebrow. Not only at the question - it was blatantly obvious she liked it here. But she hadn't failed to notice the subtle yet noticeable trembling in Fang's voice, something that was more odd to her than the thought of Lightning wearing a cat outfit while fighting.

But she shook it off. After all, she would've lied had she said she wasn't a bit nervous herself being in a place like this with the richest people of New Bodhum. It was also getting to Fang a bit, it seemed. "Of course, silly! What do you think?" she replied then, giggling softly.

"Hehe, yeah, right," the brunette said with a short, bit strained laugh, looking away briefly. So odd again. And then her tense posture... _Wow, she really must feel quite a bit tense here. Maybe I should ask her about it. She doesn't have to do this for me if she's not feeling good with it..._ Vanille nodded to herself, opening her mouth.

"Fang? Are you feeling okay? You look kind of tense..." She looked at her love with slight concern, measuring her as best as she could. "You know, you don't have to take me to a fancy place like this if you don't feel good here," she added hesitantly, watching Fang intently for her reaction.

There was surprise evident on her face for a split second before she smiled, taking the girl's hand in hers. She took a long breath before speaking then. "I'd hoped you wouldn't notice me bein' a little tense. But it's true. And it has a reason, love. Just ... I can't tell ya yet, okay? But it's not about the place, I promise. I like it here as much as you," she answered with a soft smile, gently squeezing her hand.

Vanille nodded her yes, reciprocating the smile, even though the answer wasn't as satisfactory as she would've liked. She had no idea what was wrong with Fang, but it helped knowing the woman would probably tell her later.

She just prayed it wasn't something too bad, but then the waiter arrived with their entrée, cutting off her worries easily as the smell of fresh food entered her nostrils.

* * *

It was quite late when they arrived back home and Vanille let herself fall on the sofa - which felt kind of strange with her dress still on - and sighed. "Ah... that was fantastic!"

When no reply came, she looked around, but Fang wasn't nearby anymore. "Fang? Where are you?"

"I'll be with ya in a minute, love!" came the reply from somewhere in their house, probably the bedroom, Vanille suspected. "Okay!" she called back and leaned against the sofa, thinking about their time in the restaurant again. Her brow furrowed when she remembered how Fang had been all tense and how the woman had promised she'd tell her later.

She would ask her as soon as she was back with her again. And she was certainly even more inclined to do that now after she'd gotten that odd feeling on their ride home again when Fang had made a habit out of it not to meet eyes with her. It had felt strange, like she was feeling tense again for whatever reason.

Worry overcame Vanille as she tried to think of the seemingly endless dreadful possibilities as to why her girlfriend had behaved weirder and weirder the later it had become. She only noticed she'd closed her eyes in deep thought when the woman of her thoughts gently kissed her on the forehead, greeting her with a deep smile as she reopened her eyes.

"Enjoy yourself there, sweetheart?"

Vanille blushed slightly, but nodded eventually. Fang retreated, still standing before her just like that, and the redhead arched an eyebrow when she noticed her love had one hand behind her back as if hiding something from her. But whatever it was, it didn't matter right now. She still had to ask her something important, and this time Fang would answer her.

Asking her right now seemed even more urgent when the redhead studied her love's face, again seeing how tense she looked, it wasn't only her face, it was her entire appearance that screamed something was making her terribly nervous. And if Vanille knew one thing, then this: Fang wasn't one to be easily driven to feel nervous or uneasy. The fact said woman had refused to talk about this only frightened the girl more since they told each other everything.

"Fang," she started, unsure how to best phrase this at first, "will you tell me now what's been wrong with you all evening? I'm really concerned about this...," she went on, slight worry in her voice as she looked at the brunette with wide eyes.

For a moment it seemed as if Fang didn't quite get the question, considering the spontaneous surprise and confusion on her face. But then it lightened up again as she seemed to remember, seemed to understand.

"Ah, this ... well ... why don't ya let me go on with my last surprise for today and then I promise everythin' will make sense, yeah?" the woman stumbled slightly, looking away and trying to keep herself from biting her lip, but failing.

But Vanille wasn't that easy, much to Fang's disappointment. "No! You've promised me at the restaurant you'd tell me and I want you to tell me what's wrong _now_. No excuses." There was something stubborn to her voice now, a stubbornness she definitely possessed, even though many people - excluding Fang - had no idea or dared to even imagine it existed in the girl. But oh, were they wrong. The redhead was one of the most stubborn people Fang knew, her reaction only serving as solid proof where none was needed anymore.

The huntress sighed inwardly. _Not that easy on me tonight of all nights, huh. If only I'd been able to cover this nasty nervousness better..._ But then a slight smirk appeared on Fang's face without her being able to help it as an idea appeared to her. It was so simple, she hadn't thought about it: Why not simply tell her the truth?

"Alright, ya got me, missy. The thing why I'm so nervous is that I wanna propose to ya," she finally said, rushing the words out as if that would banish all the nervous tension in an instant. It didn't, she quickly noticed as she waited for her love's reply, concerned her heart might jump out of her chest if it didn't stop beating so insanely fast soon.

Vanille could only stare for a moment, thinking. But then, suddenly, her expression changed to annoyed and Fang already feared the worst, preparing for a rejection. "Fang! I'm being serious! I demand you to speak to me now about what's wrong and not joke about things you simply don't make jokes about!" she said, folding her arms across her chest.

Fang couldn't stop the relieved, bit amused smile from conquering her face easily at the reaction. Had she been more relaxed, she'd probably burst out in laughter. She couldn't believe Vanille really didn't buy it, thinking it was a distasteful excuse to get away from having to explain herself. _But oh well, tell people the utter truth and they don't believe it ... I guess._

"What? Why are you grinning so much, Oerba Yun Fang?" Vanille rudely interrupted Fang's inner monologue, annoyance more than obvious in her voice now. _First she makes sure we spend a perfect day together and now she ruins it like that?! What's wrong with her?_

_Oh well, guess it's time to show her I wasn't jokin' at all..._ Fang let out a long exhale, readying herself for one of the most important moments of her life. This would decide so much for her, and she hoped Vanille loved her just as much as she loved the cute redhead she'd been together with for so long now. She did, didn't she? Fang had never doubted this before, why now, of all times?

Feeling tension nagging at her with more vicious vigour than all of the day before combined, it was a tough thing to stay focused, feeling fears and worries trying to make her back down in the last second. Taking all her strength and power, she shoved her fears away, so far away until only her devotion and love to Vanille were filling her thoughts.

"I'm-...," she started, but cut herself off. Falling to her knee before her still sitting girlfriend, she gently took her hand in hers, clearing her throat whilst the readhead's expression changed from annoyed to utter confusion. "Fang...?"

"I wasn't joking at all, Vanille. This is the thing I've been so nervous about all day. Yes, I _do_ want to propose to you because you're the one I love more than anythin' else on this world and Cocoon combined, because I wanna grow old with you and nobody else," she started, watching Vanille closely as the girl gasped when realisation hit her. She stared intently at Fang, not able to move as her mouth stayed slightly open with the utter surprise of the event happening to her hitting her full force.

"I've wanted to make you my wife for so long, Vanille. Back in Oerba even I thought a life without you would be pointless, just knowing I wanted to spend all of my years here with ya, but only now I took all my courage together to finally ask you this one question," she continued, and the words just came naturally despite all the worries she'd had beforehand about being unable to say something.

A smile grew on her face when she saw how a single tear of joy slid down Vanille's cheek as she sat there and listened, not averting her gaze from Fang for a split second even.

"You mean the world to me, Vanille. You're my family, have been for so long. Since the day we met at the orphanage after just havin' lost our families as children I knew you were someone special to me, and that only intensified in the most pleasant way when we fell in love later... I cannot imagine ever bein' with anyone else, and I'd never want to either," Fang spoke softly, all nervousness long gone at that point as she saw the raw emotion in the emerald eyes before her and felt the deep love emitting from them.

"So ... Will you marry me, Oerba Dia Vanille?"

There was a complete silence in the room for a moment as Vanille still stared back at Fang with wide eyes, another tear running down her cheek. She opened her mouth several times in quick succession to reply, but found that she was unable to form words, unable to say what her heart screamed so loudly to her. But then she saw the burning hot fire in Fang's eyes, the sincere loyalty and devotion that meant nothing less than that her girlfriend would sacrifice everything, herself even for Vanille if necessary.

And right then her speech returned to her, and she almost jumped forward to hug Fang, making her fall on her back with Vanille on her. "Yes, yes I want to marry you, Fang! More than anything," she almost screamed, embracing her love more tightly than she thought she'd ever had. And then they just both laughed, holding each other tightly for a moment that felt like eternity before breaking, smiling deeply at one another. _How could I seriously fear she'd say no?_

Fang reached to her side on the floor where she'd put the small box for the time being, carefully opening it to reveal a beautiful silver ring with an orange jewel. She took it, gently sliding it over Vanille's left ring finger, smiling at her love when it was done. The redhead admired the piece of jewelry, feeling more proud than ever in her young life.

"Now ya know why I was so tense...," Fang spoke softly, her voice only slightly above a whisper. Vanille could only nod with a broad smile, her voice gone again at that point. But she wanted, needed to show Fang her love now, right now.

So Vanille - not caring one bit they were still lying on the floor - leaned down slowly, pressing her lips onto Fang's as passion overwhelmed her. The kiss was slow and tender, their love and passion driving them as they expressed what words could never fully do justice to. Soon, they brought their tongues into the mix and Fang pressed Vanille tightly to her, needing to feel all of her.

Eventually the couple broke again, just silently smiling at the other for a second. "I love you so much, Vanille. Never forget that, ya hear me?" Fang smiled, gently stroking over her love's back.

"I love you too, Fang. No matter what," the redhead replied softly, immediately leaning down for another kiss.

* * *

**AN: **Happy Valentine's Day (if you're 'celebrating' the day) and hope you liked this chapter! I'd really like to hear your opinion on this one since I've been rewriting parts of it over and over and don't quite know how good it really is now. I'd appreciate your feedback.

_(Feel free to skip the next part if not interested in some babbling/philosophising of mine)_

Also, I'd like to add something in regards to Mostarda, who said that it's hard these days to find people who ship Fanille. I found that too, and I'm confused as to why, since from forums etc. I've always had the impression many people were of the opinion Fanille are more to each other than "sisterly". I really wonder why there seem to be not so many shippers around and even less so people who contribute the ship with arts/fics - I mean, is it because many people hate Vanille with a passion, or are Fanille really simply that unpopular for whatever reason? I mean, I _did_ have the feeling the base of shippers was bigger right after XIII's release, so maybe there are other reasons ... I don't know, also I don't know of the situation in Japan. I'm just wondering why it seems (maybe it's a wrong impression, I don't know?) that Fanille's unpopular compared to the "big" ships Hopurai and Fangrai. I thought I'd just share these thoughts I've had for a while with you, maybe someone knows of a reason for this or just plainly tells me my impression is wrong and I need to look somewhere else xD Whatever it is, feel free to tell me your opinion if you like!

One last thing before I finally go to bed: Exam's on Sat and after that it's finally semester break until April, meaning a lot more time to write. So you can expect updates to come more quickly in that period! :) See you!


	3. Family

**AN: **Update's here! Hope you enjoy, and thanks for your lovely reviews! :) And be warned, this is some of the heaviest fluff (I feel) I've ever written! :D Thanks go to Kayani-Yun for looking this over.

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_Family_

It was early in the morning when Vanille awoke, stretching with a yawn. The first rays of sunlight peeked in through a gap between the curtains. The girl looked over to her nightstand. _7.34_. That was still _very _early indeed, especially on a Saturday like today where they would usually sleep till ten or eleven. But this morning, the girl just couldn't get back to sleep.

Turning, she found Fang facing her, a peaceful expression on her face as her chest heaved and sank regularly with every breath. The blanket had moved a little, revealing her shoulders and blessed chest. Fang had always slept naked, only making an exception in the coldest winters. Vanille was different, only sleeping without her pyjamas when they'd had sex before. She smiled. Closing the distance between them, the girl gently placed the blanket back over her wife's chest and shoulder, almost giggling when the woman unconsciously leaned more to her while sounds the redhead couldn't identify left her mouth.

Fang was really astoundingly beautiful. Vanille couldn't help but notice as her eyes wandered over her face, studying every feature as if she was looking at the woman for the first time. _Far from it_, she thought with a smile. They'd been together for years now and Vanille really couldn't count the number of times she'd spent mornings like this one just looking at her, admiring the beauty of the woman she loved. She couldn't help it as she leaned forward and placed a kiss on Fang's forehead, softly so as not to wake her, knowing how important her wife considered it to get enough sleep, especially on weekends.

But what now? Vanille knew she was too awake already to go back to sleep, so she had to get up and try and find something to do. She was pulled out of her thoughts when suddenly, a strong feeling of nausea overcame her. _Oh oh, that doesn't feel good..._ Holding her belly, she quickly but quietly got out of bed and made her way over to their bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Her suspicion had been correct, she found as she reached the toilet just in time. Once she'd survived that not so great start of her day, she sighed in relief. That was quite odd actually, just getting nauseous like that. But then she smiled at herself as an idea hit her. Maybe... just maybe it was morning sickness. Her heart jumped at the thought, knowing what that could mean. It could very well be, she found with growing joy as she saw her period had still not come - it was one week late already to the day.

She almost jumped out of the bathroom at the prospect. _Maybe it finally worked! _Looking at the nightstand clock again and seeing that Fang was still fast asleep, she decided to take a hot shower before buying a pregnancy test. That would give her, and Fang of course, clarity. They'd been trying to get her pregnant for a few months now, but with no success thus far. It had been a bit frustrating at times, but they didn't give up, wanting to fulfil their wish to have a child, a new family member.

After the shower, Vanille prepared to go out and checked if she'd woken Fang with her early morning activities, smiling when she saw the woman lying on her back, eyes closed and snoring softly. Yeah, she'd always been a heavy sleeper. And for Vanille it was actually a given fact that on weekends, the woman couldn't even be woken up by an explosion nearby. She'd never tested that theory, of course. But still.

Taking her purse and keys, she sneaked out of their house and drove to the nearest pharmacy, trying to keep herself from blushing as she asked for a pregnancy test. It was somehow unpleasant to ask a total stranger such a question, automatically revealing that - most likely, at least - you're thinking you're pregnant. To share such personal matters with strangers, it was odd. But there was no way around this, obviously, and Vanille just hoped the woman wouldn't ask any questions about this or wish her luck or something.

"A pregnancy test? They're over there", the woman said, pointing to somewhere behind Vanille. Thanking her, the girl got herself one, returning to her to pay in no time. The woman smiled as Vanille handed her the money. "Good luck, no matter what result you're hoping for."

And now she couldn't stop the blush from crawling up her pale skin. But as much as she felt embarrassed by the statement, Vanille had never been an impolite person_. _"Thank you, ma'am," she said with a shy smile, nodding before the woman handed her the bag with the test. Her heart pounded like crazy the entire drive back home, her excitement for the result to come too strong to be contained in any way. Not that she wanted to, anyway. She wanted to be excited for this.

Finally arriving back home, Vanille entered their house and found her wife still asleep, the blanket having once again slid down a little. And just like earlier, the girl placed it back over Fang's body, inhaling her lovely scent as she leaned over her. Then she sneaked back into the bathroom, the pregnancy test in hand. Trembling slightly, she took the test. Now she couldn't do much more than wait a few long minutes.

It was past nine already now, so Vanille decided the best thing she could do was to start preparing breakfast. She was quite hungry by now anyway, and Fang would wake up soon too. Despite her hunger providing distraction, these were probably the longest minutes of her life. She was happy when enough time had passed for her to go check. Her heart beat so fast she could feel it, her hands sweaty now as she entered the bathroom.

She gasped when she looked at the result, just standing there like that for a moment. And then she suddenly started cheering, not caring if it woke her wife up or not. She could almost not believe it, it really worked this time! Laughing, tears of joy running down her face, she practically stormed out of the bathroom.

"Fang! Faaang, wake up!" she called, jumping onto the bed. The woman only stirred slightly, mumbling something as she turned on her back. Vanille giggled. No, now she _would _wake her up, by all means. This was important enough; she was sure Fang would be as happy as her about the news. Still grinning so much it hurt, the girl went to straddle her wife. "Fang, wake uuuup! It's important and great and... just awesome!"

Fang opened her eyes slightly only to see her wife sit on her hips, smiling down at her with tears on her cheeks, cheering like she lost her mind. What was going on? "Vanille? What's up?" She yawned, stretching as best as she could with the girl on her.

"Faaang! It worked, it finally worked!" she exclaimed, joy overcoming her as she leaned down and firmly pressed her lips onto Fang's. The woman in question returned the kiss but could only arch her eyebrows at what her wife was referring to. She was still far too sleepy to understand much.

"I'm not quite followin', love," she said with a calm voice, smiling. Well, whatever had happened, it made Vanille happy, that was a good thing, right? _Wait a minute...! _It slowly dawned on her. What if-

"I'm pregnant, Fang! We're having a baby!" Vanille exclaimed, taking the test out of her pocket so her wife could see. Fang gasped, similar to Vanille's reaction earlier. But it was a short-lived surprise, being replaced by a wide smile as she pulled her down, hugging her closely before a passionate kiss followed.

"This is the most awesome thing I've ever woken up to, love," she almost whispered as they parted again, bringing her hand to Vanille's face, stroking over her cheek. Looking at each other, they couldn't help but start laughing at their shared happiness. Fang only noticed that she, too, had shed a few tears when her wife wiped them away.

"We're really havin' a baby now..." Fang smiled deeply, sighing in contentment. They'd waited for this so long, and now it was really a dream come true. "I'm so glad it finally worked."

"Me too! Should we ... tell the others?" Vanille wanted to know, climbing off of Fang to lie at her side.

Fang smiled, holding Vanille close. "Of course! I mean, if you're okay with them knowing it right away."

"Yep. They'll be happy for us," the girl nodded, imagining Serah's face at the news. Etro, she'd probably scream so loud the neighbours would complain.

Exchanging kisses, they lay there just like that for another few minutes, no words said but none were needed. Vanille stirred slightly. "Fang? I've started making breakfast by the way."

Fang shook her head, still smiling like a fool, wondering if she could get sore muscles from smiling too much. "You stay here with me, love."

Vanille giggled. "Okay, but only a few minutes! I'm hungry, Fang."

"Don't worry about it. Let's just relax some," her wife chuckled, stroking over the girl's shoulder.

Maybe they relaxed a little too much since not long after, they fell asleep in the warmth of the other's embrace, breakfast long forgotten. There were more important things on their minds as they rested together, now that a child was on the way. It was new and exciting, yes, but of course both knew much would change in the upcoming months. But it was nothing they were afraid of, knowing they were strong together, their love having long ago forged an unbreakable bond between the two, the bond of a true family.


End file.

Final Fantasy XIII, Romance